Definition of SKELL

skell

Plural: skells

Noun

  • a homeless person, especially one who sleeps in the New York subway.
  • A male suspicious person or crime suspect, especially a street person such as a drug dealer, pimp or panhandler.

Verb

  • To fall off or fall over.

Examples

  • Did you see those two skells lying in the doorway?
  • She went skelling over on the ice.

Origin / Etymology

* Perhaps from skeleton, describing the often skeletal appearance of drug users.
* Alternatively, from skellum or skelder ("to beg in the streets"). Used by Ben Jonson, 1599.
* In the sense of a suspicious person, popularized by the American TV police drama NYPD Blue.

Scrabble Score: 9

skell: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
skell: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
skell: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

skell: valid Words With Friends Word